


Gone Home

by Rawnaeris



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), I abuse italics, M/M, Not Beta Read, Past Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light, Patch 5.4: Futures Rewritten Spoilers, Unnamed Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), WoL swears A Lot, seriously 5.4 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawnaeris/pseuds/Rawnaeris
Summary: WoL tells Estinien off for continuing to run away after seeing Aymeric during 5.4
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Estinien Wyrmblood
Kudos: 12





	Gone Home

**Author's Note:**

> When Aymeric asked the WoL if we’d seen Estinien, this happened.
> 
> ...I’m sorry

“Goddammit, Estinien. _How long has it been since you’ve gone home?”_ I snarled as I stormed into his room at the Rising Stones.

“What home? The one I almost razed? That no longer has need of an Azure Dragoon? They’re better off without me,” he countered with a scowl.

“You’ve not been back since you rescued me at Ghimlyt, then.” I contemplated slapping the stubborn ass in front of me, but settled for crossing my arms. “You are not _so_ incapable of logic as to be wholly unaware that you’ve left him alone and lonely. Why.”

“Buggering hells, woman. _He’s_ better off without me,” Estinien responded with a glare.

“No. No, he isn’t. I ran into him picking up the ceruleum yesterday. He fucking _misses you_. And frankly, loves you too damn much for his own good, because he will never _ask you_ to return. He’ll just wait and pray to Halone that you _will_.”

Estinien eyed me warily, “No, _you’re_ the one he’s in love with, and I don’t see you running back to Ishgard.”

My eyes burned bright with tears at that. “Yes, fuck you, too. Do you know why? Have you given _why_ I would do that a second goddamn thought?”

His eyes widened, betraying that he had not, in fact, considered I had a reason. He opened his mouth clearly intending to say something, anything.

I cut him off, “We found out, beyond a shadow of a doubt, during our time on the First that _I am tempered_ to Hydaelyn. I’d suspected for some time before that.

We lost Haurchefant at the Vault not _days_ after he and I had discussed letting our courting be public.

Do you know what happened the night Aymeric and I tried to have dinner? The _one_ time I tried to spend time with him as anything other than The Warrior of Light and The Lord Commander?” I bit the words out such that the capitalizations were audible.

Estinien stared in response, his normally sharp tongue stilled from shock.

“He asked me if I had ever given thought to what _I_ wanted from my life. I never got the chance to even _consider_ an answer because Alisaie showed up to the Fortemps’ three-quarters of the way to _dead_.”

“ _Hydaelyn_ has made it quite clear I am not allowed that connection. And it fucking _kills me_. He needs _one_ of us goddammit, and I quite literally _can’t be that one_. That is not a choice I’m _allowed_ to make.” The tears that had been threatening began to fall in earnest.

“So get your goddamn head out of your ass and get yourself home, you hear me?”

I paused to catch my breath and try to stem the flood of tears, realizing as I did so that Estinien wasn’t looking _at_ me any longer but _past_ me.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. I only knew of one other person who would walk unannounced into a private room containing Estinien.

“How much did you hear?” I asked flatly. I didn’t bother turning around. I knew who it was.

The all-too-familiar voice hoarsely whispered, “From when you referenced the First.”

So, all of it then. Fuck. Hydaelyn, please don’t take him too. I’ve stayed away as much as possible as You made it clear that was Your desire. Please don’t take him. Ishgard needs him. The Alliance _needs_ him. I only want him.

I took the coward’s way out. Estinien ought to appreciate it, given sudden exits via window were usually his purview. The Bozjan front still needed people, the aether sickness for a teleportation that far was worth it. I was gone before they made it to the window.

***

The men stared in shocked silence for several moments, watching the point on the next roof where she’d vanished in the blue swirl of a teleportation spell.

“Bugger all. How many of the Scions are tempered then?” Estinien murmured.

Aymeric shook his head, “We have to break it. The temper on her. Didn’t the Scions just find a cure?”

Estinien looked thoughtful, “Yes, with rather a lot of caveats. It requires an enormous amount of aether, and only seems effective for “mild” cases, like the kobald child Ga Bu. For the time being, anyway.”

He paused, then added, “You came in quite a bit earlier than you admitted to, any particular reason why?”

“Because I couldn’t bear to break her heart further by telling her that she still knows me incredibly well. Even stopping by here, hoping to catch you, I wasn’t going to ask you to return. I...” he hesitated, “She knows the two of us far better than I realized. There wasn’t a word she said that was untrue.”

Estinien stared at that admission and let out a string of expletives that actually made the ears of the other man turn a bit pink. “ _Fury-swiving hell_ , I was partly trying to stay out of her way. From your expression I gather you’d never told her about us?”

Aymeric shook his head, “Not in so many words, no. But neither did I hide any of the terror I felt when Nidhogg took you. Or my relief when she brought you back.”

“Fury, how much insight can one person have?” muttered Estinien.

Aymeric sighed, “Come on. Let’s go home. Trying to follow her this night strikes me as exceptionally unwise.”

Estinien stiffened, then sighed, “Does everyone not hate me for what Nidhogg did?”

“There are those who will never understand or forgive, but, we have Vanu and even dragons living in the city now. If Ishgard can get used to them, it can relearn being used to you.”

That brought a wry smile to the other man’s face, “Fine. Lead on, my Lord Speaker, let us follow her command.”


End file.
